Eurovision 2023 Italy profile: ‘Due Vite’ by Marco Mengoni

Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest

Italy debuted in Eurovision at the inaugural contest back in 1956 and have claimed victory three times with Gigliola Cinquetti’s ‘Non ho l'età’ (1964), Toto Cutugno’s ‘Insieme: 1992’ (1990) and of course Måneskin with ‘Zitti E Buoni’ (2021). Italy took a hiatus from the contest after the 1997 competition and returned with a bang in 2011 - emerging as part of the newly minted “Big Five”.

In more recent years, Italy has been a powerhouse of the entire contest, claiming two runner-ups with Raphael Gualazzi’s ‘Madness of Love’ (2011) and Mahmood’s ‘Soldi’ (2019). Of the last ten entrants, four have walked away with a Top 5 position. In addition, since their return in 2011 Italy has only missed out on a Top 10 position twice. With results like these, Italy has cemented itself as a consistently serious contender at Eurovision.

2023 Entry: Marco Mengoni - ‘Due Vite’

• Marco Mengoni automatically qualifies for the grand final as Italy is part of the “Big Five”. Italy are able to vote in semi-final 1.

• My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 13th out of 37 entries

• Odds to win ranking: 11th

(Rankings as of 16 April 2023)

About the artist

Marco Mengoni hails from the small mountainous town of Ronciglione in mid-central Italy. He began singing at fourteen, singing in local piano bars and clubs. At nineteen he moved to Rome to peruse university and began working with recording studios as a sound engineer and programmer.

In 2009, he participated in the third edition of ‘X-Factor Italia’ and won, landing himself a Sony Music record deal and the opportunity to compete in the “Big Artists” section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2010. At Sanremo, he placed third on debut with the timeless entry ‘Credimi ancora’.

Marco returned to Sanremo in 2013 with the acclaimed ‘L'essenziale’, winning the competition and earning the right to represent Italy at Eurovision 2013. In a competitive year,

‘L'essenziale’ placed 7th in the Grand Final.

In Italy, Marco a large and consolidated artist celebrated by millions across Europe. He’s released seven studio albums, toured ten times, and won dozens of awards including MTV Europe Music Awards for Best European Act twice (2010 & 2013). Marco is currently touring Europe during the lead up to Eurovision.

About the song

‘Due vite’ (Translation: ‘Two Lives’) is sung entirely in Italian with very little backing or vocal support: Marco really carries the entire melody.

The song is about how a couple copes with the ups and down of life. Lyrically it explores the bond two people share: being together for happy moments, but also despair and the beauty of chaos. In essence, ‘Due vite’ is about living in the moment of a relationship and cherishing it.

Marco credits creative inspiration for ‘Due Vite’ from celebrated, now passed Italian musician Lucio Dalla in ‘Vanity Fair Italia’:

“It is a song full of words, a continuous tension that never seems to explode until the moment I leave my vocal cords there, at Sanremo. It wasn’t easy to tackle this piece, but the beautiful thing is that we let ourselves be carried away by Lucio Dalla, letting him inspire us, remembering him. I approached singing in this way: little breath, lots of words and a lot of tension to then explode.” - Marco Mengoni

‘Due vite’ is one of the most streamed and highest charting songs heading into Eurovision 2023, already charting in: Italy (no.1), San Marino (no.1), Switzerland (no.2), Malta (no.20), Croatia (no.35) and on the Billboard Global 200 (no.80).

How Marco Mengoni was selected for Eurovision

Photo Credit: Il fatto quotidiano

Marco Mengoni won the 73rd edition of the infamous Sanremo Music Festival, earning the right to represent Italy at Eurovision 2023. He led the odds and provisional results from start to finish of this year’s festival—it was unsurprising he won.

As well as winning the “Big Artists” section and taking home the Golden Lion, Marco also won the Orchestra Award for the Best Composition. He won decisively, taking first place with the press jury, demoscopic jury, and televote on the final night.

Italy will compete in the Grand Final on May 13 (European time) in Liverpool.

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